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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27954929">varrick-care (patent pending)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Eclectic_Bookworm/pseuds/The_Eclectic_Bookworm'>The_Eclectic_Bookworm</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: Legend of Korra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Pre-Relationship, Sickfic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:22:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,907</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27954929</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Eclectic_Bookworm/pseuds/The_Eclectic_Bookworm</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Miss Moon, you need quite a bit more than a <i>day off</i> at this juncture,” said Eun-Ji with some alarm. “You need <i>constant bed rest</i> for the next few days at <i>least.</i> You’re ill enough that a full-time <i>nurse</i> might be needed to take care of you. Someone to keep you hydrated, keep an eye on your fever—”</p><p>“I can do that,” said Varrick.</p><p>Absolutely all of the doctors turned to look at him with the exact same dubious expression.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Varrick/Zhu Li Moon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>80</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>varrick-care (patent pending)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>what can i say? zhu li and varrick did the thing to my heart. at some point, i honestly really want to write more long fics about them being dumb and pining, because i just love the fact that they've probably spent years being dumb and pining but also having a lot of fun and wacky adventures. like, that's peak romance right there.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Somehow, the nasty flu going around Varrick Global Industries had completely dodged Zhu Li. Twelve of Varrick’s best employees had <em>collapsed </em>in various meetings, briefings, and galas – hell, even Varrick himself had had to take a day or two off – but Zhu Li herself had remained steadily, sturdily well. “Zhu Li,” Varrick said over breakfast, “if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to stage a coup d’état of some stripe. Every guy around you gets sick, and you stay standing?”</p><p>“Cold, heartless war machines aren’t able to get sick,” said Zhu Li without missing a beat, taking a long sip from her cup of tea to punctuate the statement. “At least, as far as I’m aware.”</p><p>“Fair point,” said Varrick. “Hey, don’t you usually take coffee with your breakfast?”</p><p>“Tastes change, sir,” said Zhu Li. “Are you ready for the meeting with our newest potential investors?”</p><p>“The tea people? Yeah, I’m all set. We giving them the grand tour, or is it straight to business with them?”</p><p>“Straight to business, sir,” said Zhu Li, glancing down at her notepad. “Pao’s isn’t the kind of organization that’ll be impressed by flashy showmanship – they’re looking for a strong, reliable business partner with integrity and consistency.”</p><p>“So <em>definitely </em>not us.”</p><p>“Definitely not, sir, but if we lock them into the contract they’ve drawn up, they won’t really have an escape route.” Zhu Li slid the notepad across the table. It was written in her particularly indecipherable brand of shorthand, which Varrick still refused to admit that he hadn’t figured out how to read. “Apparently, they were impressed enough with what they’ve seen Varrick Global Industries accomplish to overlook your behavior at Raiko’s soiree last week.”</p><p>“My what?”</p><p>Zhu Li pressed her lips together. “You drank an entire bottle of champagne and tried to steal a shrimp platter.”</p><p>“Huh,” said Varrick. “You’d think I’d remember something like that.”</p><p>“I’d be surprised if you did, sir,” said Zhu Li. “It was quite a large bottle of champagne.”</p><p><em>“Well,” </em>said Varrick, deciding to breeze past the shrimp debacle. Things like that happened all the time in front of investors, anyway, and he always landed on top. Hard not to, when Zhu Li was there to keep him from toppling over. (He had a vague memory of leaning dizzily against Zhu Li with a fistful of shrimp that now made a lot more sense.) “At the very least, my business speaks for itself – and you’re right not to give them the grand tour. The less they see of this place, the better.”</p><p>Zhu Li nodded, tugging back the notepad to jot something else down. “They’re here in t-ten minutes,” she said.</p><p>The sudden tremor to her voice struck Varrick as a little odd. A strange feeling rose in his chest as he took a second look at her. “Zhu Li?”</p><p>Zhu Li was staring at the notepad with an unusually glassy-eyed expression. After a few seconds, she shook her head – almost violently – and looked up at Varrick, her face unreadably impassive in the same way it always was. “Yes, sir?”</p><p>“Uh,” said Varrick, uncertain what he was even going to say, but subsequently decided against saying anything at all. Sometimes Zhu Li just did weird things. “Turn on the radio. I want to listen to some pump-up music before they show up.”</p><p>“Yes, sir,” said Zhu Li, and got up to follow instructions. Just like every other morning, really.</p><hr/><p>The executives from Pao’s all looked like Zhu Li – solemn, stoic, and probably the kind of people who would watch in semi-exasperated silence if Varrick set off a glitter bomb in the office to spice things up. (A hypothetical situation, obviously.) The best-dressed of the bunch sat down in the chair in front of Varrick’s desk, motioning for his companions to stand behind him. “Varrick, we’ve heard good things about you,” he began. “Your…<em>idiosyncrasies…</em>are more than a little bit unusual in terms of the usual set of people we do business with, but we’re trying to improve our image as a more modern company.”</p><p>“Yeah, you guys have been around for a while, right?” Varrick replied with an easy grin. “I can see why you’d want to partner with us for shipping. You’re pretty successful, but you’re still not exactly a household name.”</p><p>“The brands you’ve endorsed have been overwhelmingly…what is the word?” The guy snapped his fingers. <em>“Trendy.”</em></p><p>“Huh,” said Varrick, intrigued. He always liked a challenge. “So you wanna partner with me because you think I can turn tea into the latest trend?”</p><p>“If anyone can do it, it’s you,” said the guy, whose name Varrick was probably going to have to covertly ask Zhu Li to refresh him on. “Your single-minded dedication to creating a smoothly-running operation is exactly the kind of person we want to be working with. We’re willing to overlook your more extravagant behavior at parties so long as you’re able to keep things focused and professional during business hours.”</p><p>“You’ve come to the right place,” said Varrick, doing his best to put on his business face. <em>“Nothing </em>is more important to me than this deal—”</p><p>There was a <em>crash </em>from behind the guy. Zhu Li, who had attempted to step forward with the papers, had lost her balance in a way that seemed less clumsy than <em>unwell </em>– and rather than steadying herself like she usually did, the papers had tumbled out of her hands as she swooned and fell.</p><p>Varrick completely forgot about the meeting. Vaulting over the desk and knocking over two of the executives in the process, he caught Zhu Li <em>just </em>before she hit the floor, frantically shaking her until he saw her eyelashes flutter. “Zhu Li, <em>Zhu Li—”</em></p><p>“Sir, don’t disrupt the meeting!” said Zhu Li, somehow managing to sound reproving even though her face was very nearly bloodless. “I’m fine—”</p><p>“Oh, so you call fainting and stuttering and-and-and weird <em>head shaking fine?” </em>Varrick demanded hotly, dizzying relief fueling a strange and vicious anger. “This is <em>completely </em>unprofessional behavior – and in the middle of a meeting with <em>important investors, </em>no less! <em>Fainting </em>on the job? I should fire you right now!”</p><p><em>“Varrick,” </em>said the guy, sounding a mixture of alarmed and affronted, “we are in the middle of <em>serious negotiations—”</em></p><p>“Yeah, leave,” said Varrick.</p><p><em>“What?” </em>said the guy, almost as loudly as Zhu Li.</p><p><em>“Leave,” </em>said Varrick, not taking his eyes off Zhu Li. He thought he heard an indignant rustling, maybe the pissed-off tread of a handful of guys who had expected things to go a little better for them than this, but Zhu Li seemed to be keeping herself conscious solely through being angry at him and that was <em>scary </em>to think about. “How long have you been sick?” he said, his voice thin and clipped.</p><p>“Sir, I’m <em>fine.”</em></p><p>“You are <em>not fine. </em>Fine people don’t faint in business meetings.” Varrick very carefully propped Zhu Li up against a wall, sitting down in front of her. “I’m calling a doctor.”</p><p>“Oh, no, <em>don’t,” </em>said Zhu Li anxiously. “Varrick, I can’t <em>afford—” </em>Abruptly, she stopped, pressing her lips together again. A mortified flush brought color back to her cheeks, which Varrick might have been glad about if not for the sudden, gnawing guilt in his stomach. “That is. <em>Sir, </em>I—”</p><p>“You can’t <em>afford </em>a doctor?” Varrick had never been this angry in his life. “What the hell do I pay you for?”</p><p>Zhu Li ducked her head. In a small voice, she said, “Please, sir, I-I don’t feel at all well enough to carry on a conversation.”</p><p><em>That </em>Varrick didn’t like hearing in the slightest. If Zhu Li was feeling bad enough to admit that she wasn’t up to discussing finances, then she had to be basically at death’s door or something, and the company <em>could not lose </em>Zhu Li. The company would be a total <em>wreck </em>without Zhu Li. “You’re <em>fine,” </em>he said, determined to keep her awake. Scooping her up in his arms, he pushed the door open with his shoulder, ignoring the looks of complete and total shock on the faces of various employees. “Explain to me why you can’t pay for a doctor.”</p><p>“Hhm,” mumbled Zhu Li, and turned her cheek towards his chest, dark hair falling out of its neat updo to hide her face.</p><p>Varrick was feeling a very confusing array of feelings today and didn’t entirely know how to define them. “C’mon, Zhu Li,” he cajoled her, bouncing her awkwardly in his arms. “C’mon, war machine, wake up. Why can’t you pay for a doctor?” In a week or two, this series of events would probably be categorized by the general public as Yet Another Time Varrick Ruined A Business Deal, but somehow this time felt different than the time Varrick had set off a glitter bomb in the office to spice things up. (Hypothetically.)</p><p>Dizzily, Zhu Li said, “I <em>can </em>afford a doctor, just not the doctors <em>you’re </em>inevitably going to call here, because you only know your personal doctors’ numbers and all of them are <em>rich </em>person doctors. Sir,” she added, as though the formality might somehow soften the blow.</p><p>“You’re rich,” said Varrick. “Don’t I pay you enough to be rich?”</p><p>“Not as rich as you, sir.”</p><p>“I should give you a raise,” said Varrick. “Maybe five raises, in succession. Zhu Li, make a note—”</p><p>“I believe,” said Zhu Li, “that when I fainted, I dropped my notebook.”</p><p>“Right,” said Varrick. “Obviously. And incidentally, why would <em>you</em> be paying for my doctor? I’d cover the cost out of pocket.”</p><p>Zhu Li didn’t respond. Her breath felt hot and sticky against his collar, which probably wasn’t a particularly good sign. Turning the corner, Varrick found himself in the business lounge, where he carefully set Zhu Li down on a nearby sofa. Her glasses were askew, her eyes barely open.</p><p>“Hey,” he whispered, kneeling down next to her. “Hey, Zhu Li?” She didn’t say anything, which was a particularly terrifying thing in and of itself, because Zhu Li <em>always </em>had something to say to him. It was one of the reasons why he’d never want another assistant – none of them kept up with him like Zhu Li did. Hell, no one in the entire <em>world </em>kept up with him like Zhu Li did. <em>“Hey,” </em>said Varrick, forgetting about Zhu Li being sick, and shook her a little again.</p><p>“Sir, I’m <em>tired,” </em>said Zhu Li, in a tearful, plaintive voice that cut Varrick to the bone. “Can’t it <em>wait?”</em></p><p>Varrick hated every single part of this day with a fiery passion. He couldn’t yell at anybody when Zhu Li looked as small and exhausted as she did right then. “I’m going to call my doctor,” he said. “You stay <em>right there.” </em>Belatedly, he realized that telling Zhu Li not to go anywhere was a little ridiculous, and let out an embarrassed huff of breath as he hurried over to the nearby phone. “Hello? Yeah, I’m in the business lounge, I need three or four doctors up here <em>right now. </em>No, not – it’s for Zhu Li, she’s got the flu. No, it’s not a <em>waste of resources. </em>You’re fired. Yes, I <em>am serious.” </em>Violently, he slammed down the receiver, then stalked back over to kneel down next to Zhu Li again.</p><p>Weakly, Zhu Li said, “You did <em>not </em>just fire someone for saying that <em>three doctors </em>on my account is a waste of resources.”</p><p>“It isn’t,” said Varrick.</p><p>“Well, it certainly isn’t <em>sensible,” </em>said Zhu Li.</p><p>“What do you want me to do?” Varrick demanded furiously. “Do you want me to hire him back? I can hire him back if you want, it was <em>you </em>he was insulting—”</p><p>Zhu Li rolled over and buried her face in a nearby pillow. This was such a reassuringly <em>Zhu Li </em>reaction that Varrick decided to hire the guy back <em>and </em>give him a raise.</p><hr/><p>All three doctors said that Zhu Li had the flu. “Well, I knew <em>that,” </em>said Varrick hotly. “What the hell am I paying you all for?”</p><p>“It seems that she’s been attempting to work <em>through </em>it,” said Min, as though <em>this </em>wasn’t obvious to Varrick too. “Most of your employees who contracted this particular flu took a day or two off to recuperate, but Zhu Li’s efforts to continue her routine as normal seem to have worsened her condition significantly.”</p><p>“How significantly?” said Varrick.</p><p>None of the doctors seemed like they wanted to answer that one.</p><p>“Sir,” said Zhu Li, slipping too-hot fingers under his sleeve and tugging pointedly, “be polite with the doctors.”</p><p>“I <em>am </em>being polite with the doctors,” said Varrick through gritted teeth. “They’re just not answering my <em>questions.”</em></p><p>“I can,” said Zhu Li. “I’m fine. I just need a day off and—”</p><p>“Miss Moon, you need quite a bit more than a <em>day off </em>at this juncture,” said Eun-Ji with some alarm. “You need <em>constant bed rest </em>for the next few days at <em>least. </em>You’re ill enough that a full-time <em>nurse </em>might be needed to take care of you. Someone to keep you hydrated, keep an eye on your fever—”</p><p>“I can do that,” said Varrick.</p><p>Absolutely all of the doctors turned to look at him with the exact same dubious expression. Even Zhu Li raised herself up on her elbows to give him a skeptical look. “Varrick, this isn’t a pet project to be taken lightly,” said Min a bit reprovingly. “Zhu Li is very ill. She needs consistent care.”</p><p>“I can be consistent!” Varrick objected indignantly, unsure why Min’s doubt stung. Things didn’t usually <em>sting </em>Varrick. “Those guys from Pao’s came <em>directly to me </em>to compliment me on my consistency!”</p><p>“They did,” Zhu Li agreed. <em>“Before </em>you jumped over a desk and demanded that they leave immediately.”</p><p>“Well, how is my business supposed to function consistently if my <em>assistant </em>faints in a business meeting?” Varrick demanded. “That’s positively unreasonable! Am I supposed to let Varrick Global Industries come to a grinding halt while Zhu Li lies prone on the floor in the middle of a meeting? Do all of you want me to just let Zhu Li <em>die?”</em></p><p>“I wasn’t going to die, sir,” said Zhu Li, who was beginning to sound more resigned than tired. “Honestly, I’m still not. And besides which, you don’t <em>really </em>want to take care of me while I get better—you have much more important things to do.”</p><p><em>“No, I don’t,” </em>said Varrick.</p><p>There was a very tense silence, during which the doctors all looked extremely uncomfortable. Zhu Li, however, had gone an unusual shade of pink that probably had more to do with the fever than anything else. Clipped and awkward, she said, “If he <em>really </em>wants to, Min, I don’t really think anyone is going to be able to <em>stop </em>him, are they?”</p><p>Relief rushed through Varrick, dizzying in his intensity. He had to grip the back of the couch to keep himself steady. The thought of Zhu Li being sick and away from work for days on end, sick with only a doctor she didn’t know to keep her company— “Give me instructions,” he said to Eun-Ji. “Everything that taking care of a sick person entails. And send them to my penthouse, I’m taking Zhu Li home so she can get some rest.”</p><p>“Duly noted,” said Eun-Ji, who was looking at Varrick with a strange, thoughtful light in her eyes. Almost approving.</p><p>Varrick scooped up Zhu Li again. She really was <em>dense </em>for such a tiny person, but he wasn’t exactly going to let somebody <em>else </em>carry <em>his </em>assistant around. “You okay there, Zhu Li?” he asked softly, not sure why exactly he felt the need to know.</p><p>“Feeling better, sir,” said Zhu Li, but that wasn’t as reassuring as he had hoped it would be. She’d been lying to him about being sick for days on end, after all.</p><hr/><p>Zhu Li’s room wasn’t its usual level of spartan neatness when Varrick elbowed open the door, which, now that he was thinking about it, should have set off his radar <em>days </em>ago. But it wasn’t like he went into Zhu Li’s room all that often, anyway – usually, she was doing her work in <em>his </em>room until he wanted to go to bed, because if he had a really good idea, he wanted her there to write it down. It felt weird to see things out of order, so Varrick set Zhu Li down on the bed and started trying to figure out where things went.</p><p>“Oh, <em>don’t,” </em>said Zhu Li exhaustedly from the bed. “Really, sir, I can do it myself later.”</p><p>“You like things neat, Zhu Li,” said Varrick stubbornly, “and a messy room isn’t going to help you feel better, which is the ultimate objective of absolutely everything I’m doing right now.”</p><p>For some reason, Zhu Li didn’t have anything to say to that. When Varrick snuck a look at her, she was watching him with an unusual fondness – which was <em>extremely </em>jarring, because she <em>never </em>looked at him like that. He’d definitely have noticed. God, she really <em>was </em>sick, and he’d asked her to make him <em>tea </em>this morning. She’d been seconds from passing out all day for the sake of his stupid tea.</p><p><em>I’m sorry, </em>he wanted to say, but saying sorry to Zhu Li would probably make her think that he’d contracted whatever weird disease was making her eyes all soft. Better not risk it. Sitting down on the bed next to her, he instead focused on carefully unlacing her boots. He heard her breath catch as his fingers grazed her ankle, and a shocked, nervous, <em>“Sir—”</em></p><p>“What?” said Varrick, nervous and embarrassed for a reason he very pointedly did not want to label. “You usually sleep with shoes on?”</p><p>“No, just – I can get them myself,” said Zhu Li, tried to sit up, and fell dizzily back against the pillows.</p><p>Well. That probably took care of that. Varrick finished unlacing Zhu Li’s boots, then carefully divested her of her socks and jacket, awkwardly smoothing down her half-undone hair in the process. He hadn’t seen her with her hair down before. He kind of wished that he’d seen it in a different context than this. Gently, he shook her shoulder. “Hey, Zhu Li,” he whispered. “I think – uh – you can still get into pajamas yourself, right?”</p><p>Zhu Li, who had only barely opened her eyes, gave him a withering look that entirely answered his question.</p><p>Varrick coughed. “Okay,” he said, and clambered off the bed, hurrying over to her dresser and feeling strangely lightheaded. He’d signed up for this, obviously, but he also hadn’t really thought about <em>this </em>part, and suddenly he felt like maybe he <em>should </em>have thought about this part. Wouldn’t it be weird, helping Zhu Li get dressed? <em>Should </em>it be weird? She’d seen just about as much of <em>him </em>when she helped him pick an outfit every morning, but that was her <em>job, </em>so it didn’t really count. He’d never seen Zhu Li anything close to as disheveled and exhausted as she did right now, and it felt almost wrong to intrude on that. Would she even <em>want </em>him here if she was completely conscious and not giving him weird, soft looks when she thought he wasn’t paying attention?</p><p>“Sir?” said Zhu Li very tiredly. “Why don’t you just call one of your doctors?”</p><p>“Nope, we’re fine,” said Varrick very loudly. It was clear that Zhu Li was trying to make a point about him making promises he couldn’t live up to, and he was <em>not </em>going to let her be right. Bad enough that she could keep up with him without breaking a sweat when she was <em>well, </em>but getting bested by his tiny assistant while she was too sick to stand? He’d never live it down. “Perfectly fine. Zhu Li, which pajamas do you like best?”</p><p>“Hhhhgh,” said Zhu Li into the pillow. It sounded a little like her extremely restrained version of a scream.</p><p>All of Zhu Li’s pajamas were horrible and nondescript. Varrick paid her well enough that she could afford to go to bed in silk and satin if she wanted, but everything that looked vaguely nightgown-esque was plain, sensible, and <em>beige. </em>“Who the hell goes to bed in <em>beige?” </em>said Varrick disbelievingly.</p><p>“Me,” said Zhu Li, her voice somewhat muffled by the pillow.</p><p>“Well—” Lost for words, Varrick settled for, “Stop it.”</p><p>“Should I get on that right now, sir?” said Zhu Li, in an impressively dry and sarcastic tone of voice for someone who still couldn’t get up without fainting.</p><p>With an irritated huff, Varrick picked the only patterned nightgown – it would probably still look like a glorified burlap sack on Zhu Li, but there was only so much he could do when his assistant had such apparently horrible taste – and turned around again, stalking back over to carefully prop Zhu Li up against the pillows. Her glasses were still a little crooked, so he straightened them. “So,” he said. “Uh—”</p><p>Zhu Li gave him another withering look. “Sir,” she said, “this <em>is </em>a part of taking care of someone.”</p><p>Varrick glared at her. “I can <em>so </em>take care of you!”</p><p>Narrowing her eyes at him, Zhu Li raised her hands to begin unbuttoning her blouse.</p><p>For a reason that Varrick couldn’t completely explain, he caught her hands in his, stilling them before Zhu Li could get undressed. “No, this—” He swallowed, barely able to meet her eyes. “You—” He tried again, awkwardly clearing his throat. “I wouldn’t want to—”</p><p>“You’re being ridiculous and inconsistent, sir,” said Zhu Li flatly.</p><p>Clearly, if <em>Zhu Li </em>wasn’t able to tolerate his ridiculousness, there was something going very wrong today. “Well – <em>you’re </em>being sick and fainting all over the place,” Varrick shot back, which wasn’t exactly his snappiest comeback, and began to rapidly and violently unbutton her blouse. He was pretty sure a few buttons popped off, judging by Zhu Li’s displeased intake of breath halfway through, but he was too busy not paying attention to anything but the blouse to pay attention to Zhu Li herself. It felt positively imperative that he not pay attention to Zhu Li herself right now. He didn’t want to see her soft and rumpled and gentle-eyed. The concept terrified him.</p><p>“Sir,” said Zhu Li as Varrick gracelessly wrestled the nightgown over her head, “I <em>am </em>going to take the cost of replacing this blouse into account when drawing up my next paycheck.”</p><p>“Uh huh,” said Varrick, who wasn’t listening in the slightest. Zhu Li’s head had emerged from the nightgown, her hair now completely disheveled and her glasses knocked askew, and her grey eyes were fixed exhaustedly on him in a way that was somewhat endearing in its familiarity. “Listen,” he said, “don’t do this again. You scared the hell out of me. Take a sick day, okay?”</p><p>Zhu Li looked somewhat startled. “Sir, you mentioned how vital my presence was when everyone else was getting sick,” she said uncertainly. “It didn’t seem fair for me to take a day off to recuperate when it would have left you by yourself.”</p><p>“I can take care of myself without you for a day, you know,” said Varrick a little sulkily. “Or do you think <em>that </em>little of me?”</p><p>Zhu Li shook her head. “I know you’re perfectly capable,” she said. “I just – prefer to be there.”</p><p>A bizarre and entirely unfamiliar warmth unfurled in Varrick’s chest as he looked at her. Not a lot of people actually <em>preferred </em>working with him. “Yeah, I – okay,” he said, well aware that a blush of his own was stealing across his face. “But I don’t want you getting sick. We’ve got a whole bunch of time to be the greatest crack team Republic City has ever seen, all right? If you run yourself into the ground doing all the heavy lifting, you won’t be around to see me jump off buildings and live to tell the tale.”</p><p>Zhu Li actually smiled. It was unmistakably a real smile, because she immediately looked away and tried to press her lips together to hide it, but her eyes were still sparkling behind her glasses. She didn’t say anything at all, which probably meant she was both very touched and <em>very </em>tired.</p><p>Carefully, Varrick divested her of her trousers, doing his best to clinically focus on the trousers instead of Zhu Li’s bare legs. It didn’t work quite as well this time. “Hey, do you need anything?” he asked tentatively. “Water, or—”</p><p>Zhu Li looked a little startled by the question. Drawing the blankets up and around her, she just <em>stared </em>at him as though trying to work out what his angle was. <em>Yeah, if you figure it out, I hope you tell me, </em>Varrick thought, because he had <em>no </em>idea what he was doing here. “Tea,” she finally said.</p><p>God, he was a fucking imbecile. <em>That </em>was why she’d switched to tea this morning – she was <em>sick. </em>“Any specific kind?”</p><p>Zhu Li shook her head.</p><p>Well, <em>that </em>was helpful, Varrick thought, hurrying down the hallway to the kitchen. Zhu Li always knew what kind of tea to make for <em>him </em>when he was sick, even though he usually never even had to ask for tea to begin with. Now he was going to have to fudge his way through making a cup of tea, even though he hadn’t made himself a cup of tea since – well, since Zhu Li came to work for him. And <em>no one </em>could make a cup of tea like Zhu Li.</p><p>Boiling water was definitely part of the process, but Varrick could not remember for the life of him how the leaves factored into the process. He grabbed a handful of a few different kinds, tossing them haphazardly into the kettle before filling it with water and placing it on the stove. “This is great,” he informed the kettle. “I’m <em>great </em>at taking care of people.”</p><p>Abruptly, he thought of how unexpectedly small and fragile Zhu Li had looked sprawled against the wall, grey eyes cloudy and dazed as she tried her hardest to follow Varrick’s deluge of accusing questions. Varrick’s jaw tightened and he drew his arms in close to his chest, drawing in a shaking breath as he watched the kettle. <em>But it’s fine, </em>he thought. <em>She’s fine, and she’ll always be fine. She’s Zhu Li, she’s not going anywhere.</em></p><p>A series of violent coughs broke his concentration. Forgetting entirely about the tea, Varrick <em>raced </em>back to the bedroom, all but flinging himself onto a startled Zhu Li’s lap. “Zhu Li, are you okay?” he demanded, tugging her hands away from her face. “Do you need water? Tea? I can get a firebender in and heat up the water <em>way </em>faster than – why are you looking at me like that?”</p><p>Eyes streaming, Zhu Li said hoarsely, “Sir, I’m not <em>dying. </em>This is theatrical even for <em>you.”</em></p><p>Varrick was too anxious to be miffed. “You wouldn’t tell me if you <em>were </em>dying,” he countered, letting go of her hands to tug a handkerchief from his jacket pocket. Mopping somewhat gracelessly at her eyes, he added, “And I’d like for you to make it a policy to <em>tell me </em>if you’re feeling this bad.”</p><p>“I already said I would,” said Zhu Li, who seemed miffed enough for the both of them. “Do you <em>really </em>need to be this dramatic about all of this? I’m <em>fine.”</em></p><p>“The doctors said otherwise.”</p><p>“The doctors said I’ll <em>be </em>fine with bed rest—” The kettle went off, interrupting one of their most bizarre arguments to date. “You should get that,” said Zhu Li primly, settling herself against the blankets and continuing to glare at Varrick like <em>he’d </em>done something wrong.</p><p>Varrick wavered. Then, impulsively, he pulled Zhu Li into an awkward hug. Her eyes were very wide when he pulled away. “Just – get better,” he said gruffly, and hurried out of the room before he could get a good look at the soft, open expression on her face. It was terrifying, seeing her like that.</p><hr/><p>Zhu Li drank half the cup of tea before Varrick suddenly realized that tea <em>wasn’t </em>usually supposed to have loose leaves in it. “Don’t <em>humor me,” </em>he said indignantly, tugging the mug away from her and quickly swiping a loose leaf off her lower lip with his thumb. Zhu Li’s cheeks were a little pink again when he dropped his hand. “If it’s bad tea, just <em>tell </em>me.”</p><p>“It’s fine,” said Zhu Li blearily. With some alarm, Varrick realized that her eyes were unfocused again. “Warm. Helps.”</p><p>Carefully, Varrick set the mug down, tucking the blankets a little more tightly around her. “Need some sleep?”</p><p>“Mm,” said Zhu Li, her head falling forward to land somewhat awkwardly on Varrick’s shoulder. “You smell nice.”</p><p>Varrick felt an unfamiliar flutter. “Yeah, okay,” he said with a nervous laugh, gently settling Zhu Li back against the pillows. Her eyes were already closing. “How’s this working for you?”</p><p>Zhu Li mumbled something incoherent, one of her hands reaching up to tightly grip his shirt and pull him fully onto the bed. Varrick stumbled – jeez, her grip was <em>vicelike </em>– and by the time he’d managed to adjust himself into a more comfortable position, Zhu Li’s cheek was resting quietly on his chest, her breathing a little hoarse and weird in that sick-person kind of way.</p><p>“…okay,” said Varrick, his heart pounding. Very tentatively, he rested his own hand atop her head – and saw a tiny, adorable smile steal across her face as she slept.</p><p><em>Spirits. </em>This was why Varrick hadn’t been able to look Zhu Li in the eye: when you took away the intimidating intelligence, steely demeanor, and general exasperation with pretty much everything Varrick said and did, it was suddenly extremely obvious that Zhu Li Moon was quite possibly the cutest thing in Republic City. Granted, Varrick reminded himself, this was almost definitely some kind of sick-person fluke that would go away whenever Zhu Li was back at full capacity, but it was still…</p><p>Zhu Li mumbled something about the yearly budget report and cuddled entirely into Varrick’s arms.</p><p>What was Varrick supposed to <em>do </em>with this kind of thing? He’d never really <em>been </em>the cuddly type, which was why it made absolutely no sense for him to be quietly stroking Zhu Li’s hair and feeling the most exhaustedly settled that he’d felt all day. Settled was when Zhu Li was pouring him a cup of tea at the end of the day while smooth jazz played on his favorite station, not…whatever <em>this </em>was.</p><p>Zhu Li stirred. For a terrifying moment, Varrick thought she was going to stiffly pull away – that was what a healthy Zhu Li would do in a situation like this, after all. But she raised her eyes to look at him, all bleary and sleepy, and for some reason, it was impossible to look away. Drowsily, she said, “I feel <em>awful.”</em></p><p>Varrick managed a shaky laugh. “Yeah, well, you’ve got the flu,” he said. “You get some rest, all right?”</p><p>“Mm hm,” said Zhu Li obligingly (Zhu Li saying <em>anything </em>obligingly was terrifying in and of itself, in Varrick’s expert opinion) before resting her cheek against his chest again. This time, when her breathing evened out, she stayed asleep long enough for the sky to start turning a soft, early-evening orange.</p><hr/><p>Varrick found the bedroll in his room that Zhu Li usually used on late work nights, setting it up so that he could sleep on the floor next to Zhu Li’s bed. The irony didn’t at all escape him, but he’d decided to worry about his pride when she was feeling better. Besides which, it was worth any and all inevitably snide comments from a healthy Zhu Li to know that if anything got worse during the night, he’d be there.</p><hr/><p>Zhu Li woke up before Varrick, which meant that Varrick woke up to coughing. She gave him a weak and apologetic smile when he sat up. He didn’t like <em>apologetic </em>on Zhu Li’s face. It meant that she was too tired to be steely and implacable. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, which <em>also </em>felt weird. “Look, I am really bad at making tea. I’m gonna get somebody else to do it, but – all that other stuff, I can do. How’s that?”</p><p>“Please don’t cook me breakfast, sir,” said Zhu Li.</p><p>Yesterday, Varrick might have gotten mad. Today, Zhu Li was <em>still</em> sick for some reason, and he couldn’t possibly act like things were normal until she was better. “Okay, sure,” he said. “I’ll hire my best cooks. What do you want? Noodle soup? Tomato soup? Noodly tomato soup?” Zhu Li looked a little overwhelmed. He dialed it back. “Noodle soup,” he said decisively. “Point is, though, I can still be here.”</p><p>“Shouldn’t you be at work?”</p><p>“I won’t be able to concentrate,” said Varrick. This felt uncomfortably close to honesty, so he tacked on, “I mean, <em>no one </em>can make a cup of tea like you. I don’t even want anyone else to try. And I don’t have anyone who can act as my assistant on such short notice, so what’s the point of going in today?”</p><p>A flat and slightly annoyed expression crossed Zhu Li’s face. The familiarity of that particular look comforted Varrick. “Of course,” she said.</p><p>Varrick clambered up onto the bed next to her, disappointed to find that she tensed up when their shoulders brushed. He was subsequently extremely unnerved by his own disappointment. “How’re you feeling?” he asked.</p><p>“Disgusting,” said Zhu Li. “Undignified.”</p><p>Varrick snorted. “You’d be <em>dead </em>before you’d be undignified, Zhu Li,” he said. “Even when you <em>do </em>die, you’re going to be all kinds of stiff and serious.”</p><p>“I would assume so, sir,” said Zhu Li, “on account of the rigor mortis.”</p><p>“Is that sarcasm? I bet that’s a good sign.” A small smile stole across Zhu Li’s face. This – making Zhu Li smile, even when she was sick – felt like the most important thing that Varrick had ever done in his life. He doubled down. “Get-well-soon presents are all the rage, right? What do you want? A yacht? A battleship? Do you want to own the <em>Zhu Li? </em>It’s named after you, I feel like that gives you <em>some </em>legal claim to it—”</p><p>Zhu Li’s eyes went all soft and she rested her cheek on his shoulder. Varrick lost his train of thought. “Thank you, sir,” she said. “This is all…very kind of you, you know.”</p><p>“Take that back,” said Varrick reflexively. Zhu Li giggled, hoarse and disconcertingly adorable. “I’m <em>serious. </em>I am a cutthroat businessman, and this is just <em>good business sense. </em>It’s not like there’s anyone who can do the work you do without complaining—”</p><p>“Mm hm,” said Zhu Li. The laughter in her voice hadn’t entirely left. “Can I have breakfast?”</p><p>“Of <em>course,” </em>said Varrick. The cadence of his own voice – gentle and <em>sickeningly </em>adoring, the kind of tone he usually had to fake when he was talking to some important politician’s kid – took them both by surprise. Zhu Li’s eyes widened, her cheeks going pink; Varrick cleared his throat, trying to bring his voice back down to a normal tone. “I mean. Uh. Of. Of course, Zhu Li. <em>Obviously, </em>Zhu Li. Why did you even have to <em>ask, </em>Zhu Li, it’s not like I’m going to <em>starve </em>you or anything, that would be—”</p><p>Zhu Li was biting her lip and smiling, her eyes sparkling. Without her glasses, she looked – well, like Zhu Li without glasses, obviously, but also a little less formal and serious. Varrick wondered what it would be like to see her like this more often: hair mussed and loose around her shoulders, eyes soft and bright, lips soft and—</p><p>Whoa. Nope. Not going there.</p><p>“OFF TO GO GET BREAKFAST BYE ZHU LI,” Varrick yelled at the top of his lungs, and sprinted from the room in an attempt to mimic the usual reckless abandon with which he tackled morning tasks. He heard Zhu Li’s giggly cough from behind him, and a terrified smile stole across his face in return.</p><hr/><p>The cooks handled tea and soup a hell of a lot better than Varrick would have, but they had the good sense to let him be the one to bring the tray into Zhu Li’s room. She was reading with her glasses on when he came in, but the abjectly miserable expression on her face took Varrick by surprise. Usually, Zhu Li focused on a book with terrifying precision, and wouldn’t even put it down if you tried to stand on your hands and broke literally every expensive living room vase in the process. “I can’t <em>read,” </em>she said with frustration as Varrick set the tray down. “I’m getting a headache when I try to focus!”</p><p>Carefully, Varrick tugged the book from her. “How about you try and <em>eat </em>instead?”</p><p>“I’m not hungry,” said Zhu Li.</p><p>Varrick was struck with the terrifying realization that <em>he </em>was the one who had to be reasoned and mature in this situation. This was not their usual dynamic. What the hell would Zhu Li do if he was the one being sick and difficult and <em>sad? </em>“Yeah, but…food,” he tried, and instantly wanted to hit himself in the face with the book.</p><p>“I’m not <em>hungry,” </em>said Zhu Li again. There were tears in her eyes. “I don’t <em>like </em>being sick, sir. I usually work through it. This isn’t—”</p><p>“Usually?” That got Varrick’s attention in a way he didn’t like at all. “Have you been sick before and kept it from me?”</p><p>Zhu Li didn’t meet his eyes. “No, sir.”</p><p>“Zhu Li, if it’s something this important, you <em>can’t </em>lie to me,” said Varrick with frustration. “If it’s something that’s potentially gonna affect our working relationship, you can’t just – you can’t <em>pretend it’s not happening, </em>that’s not fair to <em>anybody. </em>You need to be able to <em>tell me. </em>I know—” He swallowed. “I know I’m not the best at this kind of thing, but you can still <em>tell </em>me if you’re dealing with something serious. You <em>can.”</em></p><p>Very unsteadily, Zhu Li said, “I much prefer keeping some things secret, sir.”</p><p>“Some – Zhu Li, you can’t keep <em>being sick </em>a secret. Why would you <em>ever </em>prefer to do that?”</p><p>Zhu Li stared at him for a moment, and then that exhaustedly annoyed expression returned. Without a word, she took a spoonful of her soup, glaring down at it as though it had personally offended her.</p><p>So Varrick had no idea what <em>that </em>was about, but he had the distinct and vague sense that he may have fucked something important up. <em>If it’s really important, </em>he decided, <em>it’ll probably come up eventually anyway, </em>and opened the book to a random page. “Oh, hey, this is that new novel from that Ba Sing Se guy!” he said with interest. “I’ve been meaning to read this one for a little while. What happens at the end?”</p><p>“That’s why I’m reading it, sir,” said Zhu Li, taking a sip of tea. Her expression clouded. “I was <em>trying </em>to read it, at least.”</p><p>Varrick hesitated. “What chapter were you on?”</p><p>Zhu Li looked tentatively up at him. “…why?”</p><p>Varrick gave her a pointed look.</p><p>“Chapter seventeen,” said Zhu Li. “The second page.”</p><p>“You are a precise and terrifying robot, Zhu Li,” said Varrick, “remembering that without a bookmark,” and flipped to the page in question. Clearing his throat, he began to read. <em>“Aklaq’s experience with river rafting was limited, as it had always been his sister who steered them through the icy waters in the days of their youth. But he still knew enough to understand that the situation they were in was seriously dangerous – in weather like this, with the waters so cold and treacherous, freezing to death wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.”</em></p><p>Zhu Li took another sip of tea, settling back against the pillows. Quietly, Varrick thought that he’d like to see her like this a little bit more. Not <em>sick, </em>obviously, but – unguarded. Shy. The closest to happy he’d ever really seen her. Why <em>was </em>Zhu Li so stern and strange when she was at full capacity, if somebody so cuddly and warm was underneath? What was he missing?</p><p>“Thank you,” said Zhu Li. She very pointedly did not add a <em>sir </em>at the end, and Varrick noticed its absence with a fluttery feeling in his stomach.</p><hr/><p>Varrick tried to work from home in Zhu Li’s room for about two minutes before he realized that Zhu Li was trying to help him, at which point he just shoved it in the direction of one of the cooks and informed him to tell everybody at Varrick Global Industries that he was taking an indefinite leave of absence because his <em>terrible assistant wouldn’t stop trying to work instead of getting better, isn’t that right, Zhu Li? </em>To which Zhu Li <em>tried </em>to respond, but didn’t, because her attempts to read over his shoulder had given her another fairly bad headache, so she ended up letting out an extremely disheartened moan and burying her face in her hands.</p><p>Varrick glared. “Well, it’s <em>your </em>fault anyway,” he informed her as the cook scurried out of the room, reaching up to carefully massage Zhu Li's temples. Zhu Li startled at his touch, then froze, staring at him with those gorgeous grey eyes. “You know you could be a model, right?” said Varrick without thinking, realized what he’d just said, and decided, doggedly, to commit to digging himself into this particular hole. “Not that that’s gotta mean anything, especially not coming from your boss – you’re a <em>much </em>better assistant, I’m just saying that it’s hard to find girls with your particular <em>look. </em>And—”</p><p>“Hhm,” said Zhu Li. Her eyes had drifted shut again.</p><p>“Oh, okay,” said Varrick, his voice taking on that weird, adoring note as he guided her back down into the pillows. She snuggled into the blankets with a sleepy sigh that made him feel kind of like he felt when he made a really smart investment and fucked some competitor over in the process. Like that, but…different. It was hard to define.</p><hr/><p>Varrick got pretty distracted for the rest of the day, sitting on the floor by Zhu Li’s bed and reading her book while she dozed. The protagonist was Water Tribe, but this whole book had <em>clearly </em>been written by some kind of Earth Nation imbecile who didn’t know the <em>first thing </em>about river rafting. Varrick was seriously considering drafting a strongly worded letter to the author about properly researching Water Tribe customs. If you were going to do something, do it <em>right.</em></p><p>Around sunset, there was a rustle of blankets, and Varrick set the book down to see Zhu Li sitting up in bed. Her eyes, no longer clouded and drowsy, were instead sharp and alert, zeroing in on the book in Varrick’s hand. “I wouldn’t think you’d like an Earth Nation book with a Water Tribe protagonist,” she said, doing that weird mind-reading thing she did sometimes.</p><p>Varrick still hadn’t worked out how she just <em>knew </em>these kinds of things. “I <em>don’t,” </em>he said. “The guy doesn’t understand the fine points of river rafting. It’s ruined the whole book.”</p><p>“Do you want me to draft a strongly worded letter for you, sir?” said Zhu Li.</p><p>Varrick stared at her. “So, uh, you’ve clearly turned a corner,” he said finally. “Weren’t you basically delirious when you fell asleep?”</p><p>Zhu Li went a little pink. Somewhat embarrassed, she said, “I…don’t really remember very much about the last day or so, actually.”</p><p><em>Oh. </em>Well, that kind of stung, but it was also probably for the best. Varrick wasn’t sure if Zhu Li would be able to look him in the eye had she known that she’d spent a good portion of the last day or so cuddling him. Or that he’d <em>let her </em>cuddle him. “Okay,” he said. “Well—”</p><p>Abruptly, Zhu Li said, “But from what I <em>can </em>remember, sir, you just haven’t been <em>practical </em>about this whole arrangement. You do understand that doctors would have been <em>much </em>better suited to take care of me if I’m doing poorly enough to faint in the middle of a business meeting?”</p><p>Too annoyed to remember that this was the same woman who had snuggled into his arms like the cutest, softest turtle-duck in the world, Varrick shot back, “You wouldn’t <em>be </em>fainting in business meetings if you <em>told </em>me when you were sick, Zhu Li, so I think it’s perfectly reasonable of me to want to keep a close eye on you until you get better! Knowing you, you’d probably steamroll the doctors into letting you help me out before you’re even well enough to get out of bed.”</p><p><em>“Hmph,” </em>said Zhu Li.</p><p>Despite himself, a smile stole across Varrick’s face. “I’m really glad you’re feeling better,” he said.</p><p>And wonder of wonders, Zhu Li’s expression went all kinds of soft. Her eyes dropped from his, a small, bitten-back smile clearly visible just before her curtain of hair fell to hide her face. “…thank you,” she said shyly in the vague direction of her soup, reaching up to clumsily tuck her hair behind her ears.</p><p>It meant something, that he could still get her to make that face even when she wasn’t completely delirious. He kind of hoped he’d figure that mystery out someday. “Do you want me to make you some tea again?” Varrick offered.</p><p>Zhu Li’s smile vanished. “Sir, did you make me <em>tea </em>yesterday?”</p><p>This had definitely been a tactical error, thought Varrick. Letting his guard down around Zhu Li was a bad idea when she wasn’t fainting all over the place. “…no?”</p><p>“Sir,” said Zhu Li, “just for future reference, you can’t just put the leaves <em>in </em>the kettle. It doesn’t work like that.”</p><p><em>“You said you didn’t remember!” </em>said Varrick indignantly.</p><p>“I don’t,” said Zhu Li, and almost smiled. “I’m just <em>very </em>good at logical inference when it comes to your thought process, sir.”</p><p>She <em>was, </em>wasn’t she. She was, and she’d gotten too sick to <em>stand, </em>and even though she was fine <em>now, </em>the concept of losing Zhu Li had seemed perilously real for a handful of seconds yesterday. “Hey, Zhu Li,” said Varrick suddenly, “you know <em>nothing </em>would get done in Varrick Global Industries without…” He swallowed. He couldn’t let his guard down <em>that </em>much. “Without…<em>us, </em>right?”</p><p>“Of course, sir,” said Zhu Li, but she was smiling a little like she knew what he was trying to say. Knowing Zhu Li, Varrick thought, she probably did.</p><hr/><p>When she was well enough that he didn’t feel terrified about leaving her alone for longer than five minutes, Varrick went out and bought Zhu Li a silk nightgown in a particularly fetching shade of Water Tribe blue. He did not at all care to interrogate why he chose <em>his </em>colors for her and chose instead to focus on picking out a matching black silk robe. No assistant of <em>his </em>was going to sleep in burlap-sack-beige nightgowns.</p><p>“This is an entirely inappropriate gift, sir,” said Zhu Li upon receiving it, but batted his hands away when he tried to take it back. He decided to count that as a win.</p>
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